Hide The Bear With Oris! — Meet The ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025
I am sure you are familiar with the Oris Hölstein Editions. If not, the principle is simple: Oris introduces a limited-edition watch every year to celebrate the brand’s birthday. This year, the house turns 121, which is certainly a justifiable reason to celebrate. What’s the watch to commemorate this occasion? It’s the Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025.
The Hölstein Editions are typically a platform for Oris to do something fun that isn’t necessarily commercially minded. In short, these are the ideas that would not make it through the top brass’s scrutiny otherwise, so expect a gimmick or two!
The Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025
Let’s start with the gimmick here. The Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025 features a fully lumed white dial with a secret. It looks completely clinical and serious in daylight. Turn the lights off, however, and the jolly Oris bear mascot greets you!
The dial glows green from what I assume to be C3 Super-LumiNova. But, right between 3 and 4, the familiar Oris bear’s friendly face glows in blue. It is a ghostly outline of a face, completely hidden from view when the lume isn’t glowing. Consider it a game of “hide the bear.”
Now, had this been a regular release, I could have put on my “serious watch aficionado” hat and complained about conceptual congruence. What is a gimmick doing on a pilot’s watch in such a serious, murdered-out execution? Luckily, none of the regular rules apply to Hölstein editions. It is just a bit of fun aimed at the most hardcore of Oris fans. If you don’t feel a personal connection with the Oris bear, you are probably not the target audience for this. If you do, I assume you are already on the Oris mailing list, and maybe you have even already placed your order. It almost makes me wonder who I am writing this for… Well, it’s to keep you all updated on the latest news, I guess.
The Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025 specs
Technically, the Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025 is very close to the regular ProPilot. It is still a stainless steel pilot’s watch with a 41mm diameter, a 49mm lug-to-lug, and an 11.9mm thickness. Additionally, it still has a 100m water resistance rating and an oversized screw-down crown.
Inside ticks the Oris Calibre 400-2. Unlike the usual 400, this version does not feature a date. In this sense, even with the hide-the-bear gimmick, this ProPilot is the cleanest version in the catalog. The automatic movement provides 120 hours of autonomy while promising performance within COSC standards (though it is not an officially certified chronometer). As always, the proprietary caliber has a 10-year extended warranty and a 10-year service interval.
Like last year’s Hölstein edition, the case features a durable black DLC coating. The hands, numerals, and dial markings are also blacked out for maximum contrast against the sterile white dial. The Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025 comes on a black fabric strap with a black “Lift” clasp inspired by airplane seatbelts. For the lume fans among you, Oris adds a lumed ring on the case back’s sapphire crystal.
Pricing and availability
The Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025 is limited to 250 individually numbered pieces. They are available from this June through Oris boutiques and the Oris website, as well as select retailers. This Hölstein Edition costs CHF 4,150 / €4,150 / US$5,000 / £3,700.
What do you think of the new Oris ProPilot Hölstein Edition 2025? Let us know in the comments below!
